Two men are dead after the snowmobile they were riding on apparently broke through the ice of Lake Superior near Madeline Island. Ashland County Sheriff Michael Brennan said the men, ages 32 and 38, were both residents of Madeline Island. Their names were being withheld pending notification of family members.
The pair was reported missing Thursday morning, after leaving Bayfield for Madeline Island on a single snowmobile at about 9:30 Wednesday night. They never arrived at their destination, and a 911 caller reported that they were missing Thursday morning.
Brennan said police and emergency personnel from La Point conducted a search. La Pointe EMS found a partially submerged snowmobile and a male victim in the water just south of Madeline Island in the south channel at mid-morning, and a second victim was located by Bayfield Search and Rescue divers shortly before 1:00 p.m.
The deaths bring to three the number of persons killed this winter after going through the ice near Madeline Island. Jim Hudson, a 34 year-old fishing guide from Bayfield, died after his snowmobile went through the ice January 26th. Brennan said he believed the two accident sites were about a mile and a-half apart.